memoniz

My truck has an issue. It's a '96 F150, 4.9, auto, plain jane model. It does have air but doesn't work right now. It also has 261,000 miles. The problem started some 4 years ago. My daughter was driving the truck when it lost all water and it stopped from overheating. I plug the radiator, poured water in it and it started and drove it home. I fixed that problem and kept on driving the truck after that. One day, it stopped dead on the road and I had it towed to a mechanic. He worked on it for a while, different parts, but it would have a problem when he test drove it. Eventually he changed the distributor, thinking that's the problem. I drove it for a while and it would eventually not start again at random times. After months of not running, it would sometimes start. I eventually parked it and did not drive it for nearly three years. I had removed the battery and but it in my Explorer about half way through that time. When I got the money, I bought a battery and put it in and tried to start it bad gas and all. Well, it didn't start. Two weeks later when a tow truck was there to pick it up, it started. I had it towed and worked on by another mechanic and it was really running well. One day, it almost stopped dead on me as I was driving but it caught itself and kept going. Later, several times, the truck would not restart after I had parked it somewhere (generally a restaurant) and would not start until some time has passed from the initial try. The last few times, I disconnected the battery and waited a while and when I reconnected it, it would start. Yesterday, it stopped while I was driving on the highway and I rolled off the road. I disconnected my battery and waited 10 minutes and it would not started. I did it again but waited 30 minutes and it would not start. I got picked up and went back 2 and a half hours later and still no start. This morning, I called a tow truck to meet me and when I got there, I connected the battery and it started. I had him follow me home so I could see if anything would go wrong. I got home fine but the airbag light started blinking what I figure is a 34 code. Anyway, I think this problem stems back to the overheating and never been solved. I am thinking its a sensor, but I don't have a clue about any of that. If anyone has a clue on what to do I would appreciate it. I do love this truck, we've been through a lot, but I can't stand not having a dependable ride. I do have other cars to drive so I am not looking to replace it but keep fixing it till its back in original condition. Thanks for any help.

theelkbugler

When it won't start does it turnover? If it will crank check for power to the injectors if it has power there my guess would be a fuel issue of some kind. Could be a power issue to the pump or it is starting to go out. Hope this helps

memoniz

It does crank. Thanks, I'll look into those issues. Right now the truck is running but don't use it much. The check engine light is off, it generally happens when its on.

memoniz

It case anyone sees this, it was the distributor. I replaced the whole thing with a new one I bought at O'Rielly's and hadn't had a problem since. It was about $100.00.